Ex-priest who ran rave-inspired 'cult' group found guilty of rape and indecent assault

A former priest who ran a rave-inspired "cult" group has been found guilty of rape and four indecent assaults.

Christopher Brain was leader of the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS) between 1986 and 1995 and used a "culture of fear" to sexually abuse women.

The Sheffield-based evangelical movement, part of the Church of England, combined rave culture with Christian worship.

The "vibrant church" services for young people included a live band and light shows - but the group became a cult with Brain at the centre, Inner London Crown Court was told.

The priest had a so-called "home base" team, known as the "Lycra Nuns", to care for him and his wife and daughter at home, the prosecution said.

He was previously convicted in August 2025 of 17 counts of indecent assault against nine women and found not guilty of another 15 charges of indecent assault.

A retrial was held for four further counts of indecent assault and one of rape, which the previous jury were unable to reach a verdict on.

Brain, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, denied rape and four counts of indecent assault relating to at least 15 alleged incidents said to have taken place between 1983 and 1995 involving four women. A jury found him guilty on Friday.

The latest guilty verdicts mean Brain has now been convicted of a total of 22 sexual offences against 13 women.

Prosecutor Tim Clark, KC, told jurors on Friday that Brain was convicted of a large number of offences of indecent assault against NOS members at another trial in 2025.

Mr Clark said Brain "abused his position" to sexually assault a "staggering number of women from his congregation".

During the retrial, the court heard that Brain lured one woman to his house before raping her in an attic bedroom.

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A second woman said she was reprimanded if her clothing was not provocative enough.

The court heard that she would stand naked in front of a fully-clothed Brain, describing him as a "Jekyll and Hyde character".

Julie Moss, senior crown prosecutor for CPS Yorkshire and Humberside, said: "Victims were isolated from their loved ones, made financially and emotionally dependent on the group, and made to believe that resistance to Brain's sexual advances reflected their own personal or spiritual failings.

"This was not consent. It was forced submission, caused by the culture of fear and dependency Brain had deliberately created."

(c) Sky News 2026: Ex-priest who ran rave-inspired 'cult' group found guilty of rape and indecent assault